Nothing beats a thoughtful Christmas gift handmade with care. Problem is, creating your own pressie is fraught with complications.
One tiny slip and the whole thing is kaput.
Thankfully, a plant shop in the heart of Manchester is ensuring our DIY gifts go to plan in 2020 – running a series of expert workshops in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Glass House is helping the people of Manchester create some quirky and cool plant-themed festive presents that’ll stand out amongst the toiletry sets and pairs of socks under the tree.
The workshops range from creating your own terrarium to building your own dried floral wreaths – offering the perfect opportunity to learn a new skill this winter and come out with a high-quality gift for a loved one (although we won’t judge you if you’d prefer to keep it for yourself – they’re simply too cute!)
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If handmade isn’t your cup of tea, Glass House is also selling dozens of readily prepared plants that are guaranteed to go down a storm come Christmas time.
Make sure you get in touch on Glass House’s Instagram to book your place in one of these workshops, as they’re bound to fill up quickly!
The plants are available to purchase from their Princess Street store, as well as online via their website.
Style
Manchester’s new vintage shop where designer labels cost less than £20
Daisy Jackson
A new vintage and pre-loved clothing store has opened in Manchester city centre, selling some seriously big labels for £20 or less.
Catch My Thrift isn’t all about the designer goods either, with plenty of high-street names like ASOS and Levi’s being sold alongside Burberry, Nike and Armani.
But if the item falls under the ‘fast fashion’ umbrella, founder Scott Joseph will donate the money from the sale to the Forever Manchester charity.
The shop has opened at Great Northern Warehouse on Deansgate (down towards Beetham Tower), with rails upon rails of flannel shirts, band tees, denim, sportswear and sweatshirts.
Catch My Thrift is promising to take the ‘musty’ out of vintage clothes, with gender-neutral items sold washed, ironed, and ready to wear.
For less than £20, you could be shopping for a classic Burberry shirt, a Kenzo sweatshirt, or a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans.
Scott, whose background is in luxury, high-end fashion, including Armani and Harvey Nichols, started buying vintage clothes for himself, selling on anything that wasn’t the right fit.
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A Patagonia flannel shirt for only £16 at Catch My Thrift vintage shop in Manchester. Credit; The Manc GroupA wall of brightly-coloured vintage shirts at Catch My Thrift, Manchester. Credit; The Manc GroupA beer shirt at Catch My Thrift. Credit: The Manc Group
It didn’t take long for him to realise there was huge demand for ‘quality thrift’ – and the business has flourished.
With Catch My Thrift, he’s hoping to make this sustainable alternative to fast fashion more accessible to a wider audience.
The stock is replenished weekly with new garments on display at every visit.
You’ll find a wall of band t-shirts, featuring the likes of Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Def Leopard (as well as Doja Cat and Ariana Grande), in addition to cotton, denim and flannel shirts, jeans, corduroys, casual bottoms and sweatshirts.
Catch My Thrift vintage store in Manchester.Catch My Thrift vintage store in Manchester. Credit; The Manc Group
Scott’s chosen to price everything by category, rather than label, so designer brands rub shoulders with high street labels in the same price brackets.
Scott says: “Vintage and pre-loved clothing has a story to tell, and it’s a shame that they often end up in landfill. I wanted to create a platform that makes vintage wear more accessible to people, gives them the opportunity to express their own unique style without fear of imitation and at the same time, help the environment by reducing waste.”
He plans to host classes on up-cycling and capsule wardrobe planning in the space, plus a series of talks and roundtables.
Mark Schofield, centre director of Great Northern Warehouse, said: “Catch My Thrift is a great addition to our thriving community of independent businesses at Great Northern Warehouse.
“The pop-up store highlights the step-change in consumer purchasing behaviours, with Deansgate Terrace, now increasingly recognised as a hub for independent businesses offering a range of services including vintage clothing, coffees to go, and even tattoos, in addition to great restaurants and estate agents.
“We’re committed to supporting local businesses in the early stages and look forward to seeing Catch My Thrift grow and thrive on Deansgate.”
To celebrate its new home on Deansgate, Catch My Thrift will be hosting a weekend of partying across Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September from 1pm each day, with complimentary refreshments.
The best-dressed people at Manchester Pride Festival 2023 as colourful outfits and sequins reign supreme
Daisy Jackson
Manchester has once again been filled with dazzling colour, sparkle and energy as the city’s annual Manchester Pride Festival kicks off – and the outfits have been better than ever.
This year, there’s been no holding back on the fashion. Mancs across the city have been pulling out all the stops to create glittering, bright sartorial statements.
Today we’ve seen top-to-toe latex, teeny tiny sparkly underwear, and plenty of feather boas and sets of feathery angel wings.
There’s bold eyeshadow, rainbow-hued flower crowns, huge ruffles, sparkling shoes and more than a few fluffy-trimmed cowboy hats.
And one particularly lovely trend was for matching outfits, and costumes inspired by marriage and weddings.
That’s because this year’s Manchester Pride parade theme is ‘Queerly Beloved’, celebrating 10 years since gay marriage was legalised in England and Wales.
The Manchester Pride Festival outfits were on full display on Saturday afternoon for the hugely popular parade through the city centre.
The best outfits at Manchester Pride Festival 2023
With tens of thousands coming to watch and thousands more taking part, it’s one of Manchester biggest and best events.
We here at The Manc are down at Manchester Pride Festival all weekend – with our own finest glittery outfits on – to bring you the latest. You can follow along on The Manc’s Instagram page.
Daisy Bradbury -
10th December 2020 
